Toggle actuated and adjustably mounted pivoted jaw wrench



April 11 1950 v s WARD ETAL v 2,503,78

TOGGLE ACT UATED AND ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED PIVOTED JAW WRENCH Filed Jan.50, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aprll 11, 1950 v. s. WARD ETAL ,7

' TOGGLE ACTUATED AND ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED PIVOTED JAW WRENCH Filed Jan.30, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INYENTORS Z/incent 5. M 36 07110721 B PatentedApr. 11, 1950 TOGGLE ACTUATED ANDADJUSTABLY MOUNTED PIVOTED J AW WRENCHVincent S. Ward and Gordon K. Hurlbut, Binghamton, N. Y., assignors toB. M. G. Manufacturing Corp, Binghamton, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application January 30, 1947, Serial No. 725,390

1 Claim.

This invention relates to wrenches, and more particularly to those ofthe type disclosed in Patent No. 2,388,580, dated November 6, 1945, andissued to F. A. Snell.

In that patent is shown a wrench in which a movable jaw is brought to aparallel clamping relation with a fixed jaw, regardless of the spacingof the jaws, by movement of an actuating handle, and the presentinvention contemplates a construction by means of which similar resultsare obtained through a simplified and less expensive construction. Thepresent invention relates to improvements in the type of wrench referredto, and it contemplates the provision of a simple, sturdy mechanism bymeans of which a movable jaw may be set at a selected distance from afixed jaw in order to grip an object of given size, and by means ofwhich said object may be firmly clamped between the jaws by movement ofthe actuating handle.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a structure ofthis character in which the number of parts employed is materiallyreduced; no springs are required, and the parts employed are ofsubstantial size and strength, thus resulting in a wrench which isentirely reliable and unlikely to get out of order despite the hard usewhich a tool of this character is generally given.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means by which thepivots to which the movable jaw is secured, may be positioned for amaximum distance apart whereby a movable jaw of substantial size andstrength may be employed, and also of means by which an adjust ment ofthe movable jaw is secured through the use of an adjusting bolt and nutso located as to be conveniently accessible between parallel links andwithout causing protrusion of the end of said adjusting bolt beyond thelimits of the wrench frame.

These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particulardescription of which will be hereinafter set forth and more particularlypointed out in the claim appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed, Fig. l is a side elevation of a wrenchconstructed in accordance with the invention, the jaws being shown inclosed position; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the wrench in a partlyopen position, with one of the face plates of the frame removed to showthe operating parts; Fig. 3 is an edge view of the wrench as seen fromthe right side of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 ofFig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of a modified construction, with one of the face plates of theframe removed, and Fig. 6 is a similar view of another modification.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the frame of the wrench isgenerally indicated at I, the same including a pair of similarly-shaped,spaced-apart side members or face plates 2 and 3. For a portion of theirlength, the face plates 2 and 3 are each provided at their rear with aninturned flange, that provided on the face plate 2 being indicated at 5,and that on the face plate 3 being shown at t. With this arrangement therear of the frame 5 is closed at the back for a portion of its length,and particularly throughout the handle portion indicated at 6. At itsend remote from the handle portion 6, the frame I is formed with thefixed jaw I, in which an insert 8 is located, said insert consisting ofone or more laminations to thus form a spacing member between the faceplates 2 and 3 and being held in position by the rivets 9 or equivalentfastening elements. The spacing member 8, constituting the body of thefixed jaw, co-operates with pivot pins I I and [2 to be described, inmaintaining the face plates 2' and 3 in properly spaced relation toprovide a rigid and sturdy frame of U-shape or channel shape, .asclearly seen in Fig. 4. A serrated or roughened gripping face I3 may beprovided on the jaw insert 8.

The movable jaw is shown at M, the same being of substantiallybell-crank form, and having the head portion l5, formed with thegripping face l6, and pivotally connected at one point between the endsof a straight pair of companion links H, as indicated at l8. Said linksll, rigidly secured together as a unit in slightly spaced relation are,at their opposite ends, attached to a pivot pin 20 which moves up anddown in the angularly disposed slots 2| in the frames or face platesZand 3. Located between the links H is an actuating handle 22, the samebeing pivoted at one end on the pin 20.

At 23 is shown a link which has one end pivoted at 24 to the handle 22and its opposite end is pivoted on the pivot pin l2 extending betweenthe face plates 2 and 3 of the frame.

At 25 is shown a curved link, composed of spaced companion platessecured together in spaced relation. At one end, the link 25 ispivotally attached at 26 to the movable jaw I5 and at its opposite endthe link 25 is pivotally mounted on the pin l l secured in the frame.

The adjusting means for the movable jaw includes an adjusting screw orbolt 21, which may be round or cylindrical, and said bolt or screw isflattened at one end as at 29 to extend between the companion faceplates of the link 25 and be pivoted thereto on the pin 28. The threadedportion of the adjusting bolt or screw 21 is threadably engaged by anadjusting nut 39 located in apertures 3i provided in the face plates 2:and 3, said nut projecting beyond the face plates as clearly seen inFig. 3 to enable it to be engaged by the fingers and thereby rotated toadjust the position of the movable jaw. It will be noted that theadjusting bolt or screw 2! is pivoted to the curved link 25 atsubstantially a central point between the pivots I! and 26 for said linkand that the threaded portion of the adjusting bolt or screw extendsinwardly or toward the front of the frame, and this portion of the screwor bolt 25 is thus located within the limits of the wrench frame.

It will be seen from the structure described, that when the actuatinghandle 22 is moved toward the fixed handle portion 6 of the frame i, itwill cause the movable jaw 15, through the arrangement of linkagedescribed, to swing toward the fixed jaw 1 to an extent determined b theangular position of link 25 which is controlled by the position of theadjusting screw 21. The movable ja'w i will always assume a position ofparallelism to the fixed jaw I when the movable jaw reaches the limit ofits inward swing and then, when pivot pin 24 passes the over-centerposition, the parts will be locked in close clamping relation with anyobject to be grasped between the jaws.

When releasing the object by swinging the handle 22 outwardly, or to theposition shown in Fig. 2, and beyond, it will be noted that the slots 2!permit the descent of the pivot pin 28 to the lower ends of these slotsand this descending movement of the pivot exerts a, longitudinal pull onthe link ll, causing it to impart a swinging movement on the movable jawl5, thus swinging said jaw about the pivot 29 to bring its gripping facelii to the angular position shown in Fig. 2 and permitting the releaseof the object then located between the jaws.

In the construction described, it will be noted that the use of springsis avoided; that the adjustment of the movable jaw to the fixed jaw issecured by screw-thread means located between the jaw linkage, allowingan accurate and precise setting of the jaws, and that the number ofparts employed, as well as the shape and nature of the same is such thata sturdy and rugged structure results.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5 a slightly differentstructure is shown, wherein a lengthy actuating handle or lever 22a hasits upper end pivotally secured to the movable jaw 15 on the pivot pinl8, said actuating handle 22a thus, on its outward swing, serving topivot the movable jaw on the pin 26 to angular or open position.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 6, the forward or frontlink Fla is the curved link, while the rear link 2 5a is straight. Theupper end of the actuating lever or handle 22b is pivoted at 35 to thelower end of the link 11a. The construction is otherwise substantiallythe same as that described with respect to the disclosure of Figs. 1 to4 inclusive.

While we have shown and described several embodiments of the invention,it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but isbroad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of theannexed claim.

What we claim is:

In a tool of the character described, a frame having a fixed jaw, amovable jaw within the frame, an actuating handle coupled to the movablejaw and pivotally coupled to the frame adj acent to the forward edgeportion of the frame, a link having one end pivotally attached to themovable jaw and its other end pivoted in the frame, the link beingdisposed toward the rear of the frame, an adjusting bolt having an endpivotally attached directly to the link at a point intermediate of thepivotal attachment of said link to the frame and to the movable jaw,said boltprojecting forwardly in and transversely of the frame in adirection toward the front edge of the frame, and an adjusting nutrotatively mounted in the frame and threadably receiving the bolt, theframe being apertured to receive said nut.

VINCENT S. WARD. GORDON K. HURLBUT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis (patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,388,580 Snell Nov. 6, 19452,398,209 Clemens Apr. 9, 1946 2,399,454 Snell Apr. 30, 1946 2,428,949Ward et al Oct. 14, 1947 2,436,497 Snell Feb. 24, 1948 2,464,472 Ward etal Mar. 15, 1949 2,478,728 Ward et a1 Aug. 9, 1949

